What I Hate
by CaseUnknown
Summary: Two victims are brutally murdered. Only a few potential suspects and almost no leads. Who on earth could have done it? Jane and Maura have to find the cold-hearted killer. But, at what cost?
1. Chapter 1

**AN**: Hey, y'all! This is my first ever story. Reviews would be golden and helpful! Enjoy. :)

* * *

Marianne tramped warily towards the place he had said they were going to meet. She swatted a branch out of her face and proceeded further into the forest.

She was actually surprised when he had called and asked to meet up. He said he was sorry and wanted to make up. Well, that wasn't new, Marianne was more surprised that he had taken such a short time to absorb the news.

At last, she came to the clearing that ended in a steep cliff. She spotted him first and called out to him. When he heard his name, he immediately turned around. "Hey, Marianne! I'm so glad you came!" he said as he reached out to hug her. "Listen, I am so sorry about my attitude; truly, I am."

"It's okay, I forgive you!" Marianne readily replied as they both pulled away from the hug. However, she was not ready for his move. He had grabbed her hair and forced her to bend slightly over.

"Well, I'm glad you forgave, especially when you're about to die." he snarled.

Marianne screamed in pain. "What are you doing?"

"Getting rid of filth."

She tried to fight back, but only managed to land a weak punch on her attacker's left side. This only made him laugh, and he slammed her face into the ground several times.

"Stop it, you freak! Why are you taking this so personally?" she yelled.

"Oh, believe me, it's personal." he said as he grabbed her into a choke hold.

Marianne started kicking gasping for air. "Please, please, just let me go." she begged weakly.

"Request denied." he whispered back as he twisted her neck. Marianne's body immediately went limp. He dropped the body on the forest floor and went over to the rock where he had placed the bag that he had brought along and put it on Marianne, then he dumped her over the cliff and watched as her body hit the bottom with a sickening thud.

* * *

"Come on, you just have to try it. One sip, that's it. And, if you don't like it, I will not bother you about trying this tea." Maura requested.

"What? No! I am not going to try that panda poop tea of yours. Just thinking of it makes me sick." Jane replied as she made a disgusted face.

"Jaaaane, it would be so much healthier than drinking all that instant coffee or that coffee you always buy from that store. You know, statistics show that drinking instant coffee, which has a chemical called acrylamide, will increase your chances of cancer; while drinking the cafe bought coffees will increase your chances of cholesterol. However, if you do drink the tea, it wi –" Maura rambled on, before she was cut off by Jane.

"I'll take my chances with acri-lemonade whatever and cholesterol and cancer." Just then, their phones buzzed at the same time, a nice intervention that Jane was thankful for. "Well, lookie here, I would love to continue this interesting conversation, but it seems that we have a case to solve now!"

Maura merely pouted and sighed as they both got ready to drive to the crime scene.

"By the way, we have to stop by the cafe to get my cup of coffee. We don't want a grumpy detective, now, right Doc?" Jane yelled over her shoulder as walked out of the house.

* * *

Frost and Korsak were already there when they got to the crime scene. "Hey, Doc, Rizzoli, the victim's this way." Korsak greeted them as he led the way to the corpse.

The sight wasn't pretty at all. The body's neck was bent at more than a ninety degree angle, and it was nearly severed from the body. Frost involuntarily made a gagging sound when he saw the gruesome position the victim was in.

"Here, I brought a barf bag along, just for you Frost." Korask teased Frost.

"Oh, man. Looks like she tumbled down from the cliff. Anything on the vic?" Jane asked as she snapped on the latex gloves.

"Not yet." Frost responded. "A hiker came across her body sometime around nine in the morning. Saw the body and immediately called the police."

"Okay, looks like she died from a broken neck." Jane stated, looking warily at Maura, knowing that there would be a response.

Maura didn't disappoint. "Now, Jane, you know that I don't like to jump to conclusions until I have done the autopsy. However, I will agree with you that the neck is definitely broken."

"Oh! Come on, Maur!" Jane whined. But, nevertheless, she knew she couldn't rush the ME. "Have you checked the backpack yet?" she asked of Korsak and Frost.

"Nope, you and Korsak can do it. I'll go check on the CSIU." Frost muttered and made his exit.

"Ha-ha, that boy just can't stand looking at the victim." Korsak laughed. Both Jane and Korsak stooped down to check the contents of the bag.

"Hmmm…that's weird. There is some evidence of manual strangulation and there are some petechiae on her eyelids." Maura muttered.

"Well, we know who she is now. The ID here says that she is Marianne Johnson. Twenty-six years old. The items of this bag looks like the normal itinerary of a camper. Toiletries, a pair of clothing, sleeping bag, so on…" Jane stated as she examined the contents of the books. "Do her relatives know yet?"

"No. We have yet to inform them. You wanna go with me?" Korsak asked.

"Sure, sure. Maura, call me if you have anything, okay?" Jane replied.

"You know I will, Jane." Maura smiled.

* * *

AN2: Thank you to the guest review for the grammar correction! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **So, hope the story is going good so far. I know, the first few chapters may seem quite dreary, but I need to get the foundation for this mystery down! Enjoy. :)

* * *

"Is this the address where Marianne's parents stay?" Jane asked as she stepped out of the car.

"Yup. Sure does look posh." Korsak replied.

Jane had to agree. The lawn was nicely mowed into a checkered design. The house was comfortably big, with a two car garage. The design had a slight hint of a Victorian era. The two of them walked up the pathway and Korsak pressed the doorbell.

Of all the job requirements, Jane hated this part the most. Having to tell the parents, spouses, or relatives of the victim's demise always called for a certain amount of control over the tear ducts.

A few moments before they heard the shuffling of feet heading towards the door. It opened to reveal an early fifty-ish looking man. He may have looked old, but he had a buff upper body which looked pretty well kept, especially his arms.

_Must be whey powder_ Jane thought.

Jane introduced them. "Mr. Johnson, I'm detective Jane Rizzoli and this is detective Vince Korsak. We are from the Boston police department. May we come in?"

"Okay, come in. What is this about?" Mr. Johnson gestured them in.

"Ummm...is your wife here? I would like the both of you to be present." Jane said.

"Honey! Could you come here for a while?" Presently, a short and slightly plump lady entered the living room and sat next to her husband.

"Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, I am saddened to inform you that your daughter, Marianne Johnson was found dead at a popular hiking and camping trail."

"What? No, no, that can't be true!" Mrs. Johnson gasped in shock.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Mr. Johnson asked somewhat loudly.

"I'm sorry. Truly, I am." Jane replied, already having a hard time restraining the tears that were threatening to spill over. She looked to Korsak to continue the conversation.

Korsak nodded knowingly and took over. "I know this may seem rude, but, we have reasons to suspect foul play and would like to ask a few quick questions."

Mrs. Johnson suddenly burst out into wracking sobs. "No! No! Not my poor baby!" Her husband, wrapping his arms around his wife, tried his best to comfort her, but he too was deeply grieved.

They sat that way for a few moments before Mr. Johnson replied. "I'm sorry detectives. This truly is a shock. Marianne was well loved by everybody. Her colleagues at work all got along with her. She was the baby of the family and her older two siblings all loved her to death."

"I see. Where did she work?" Korsak asked.

"She worked at this florist place. It's called 'The Perfect Rose'. She's been there for two years already."

"Did she have any boyfriend? Was she dating anyone?"

At this question, Jane noticed that Mr. Johnson's face suddenly went rigid with anger before going back to his sad face. It happened so fast, Jane almost didn't catch it. This time, it was Mrs. Johnson that responded. "She didn't have a boyfriend, she had a girlfriend, Claire."

* * *

"Did you notice that Mr. Johnson didn't look too happy at the mention of Marianne's girlfriend?" Jane asked as they drove back to the precinct.

"Ha, yeah. Then again, I know of some friends that didn't take it quite will when they found out their kid was gay."

"Man, I hate this kind of cases. Where the victims are so well loved and nobody seems to have no motive." Jane moaned.

Just then, Jane's phone buzzed. "Maura's going to start the autopsy. Can you and Frost go over Marianne's network and everything?"

"Sure, sure, we got this." Korsak assured.

"So, Maur, you got anything yet?" Jane asked as she burst through the doors.

"Well, not much. However, time of death was approximately seven this morning, and I did find out that not only did Marianne suffer from a broken neck, she was also strangled." Maura replied as she examined the cadaver's lungs. "Her trachea was slightly crushed and the lungs showed signs of pulmonary edema. Based on the autopsy I did, I was able to find out that her neck was broken before she landed at the bottom of the cliff."

"This sounds like a brutal killer. Strangling then snapping the neck, like a chicken."

"Yes. I would agree with you. Jane, this killer must have been pretty strong and cold-hearted to do that."

* * *

"Hey, Frost, you found out anything about Marianne on the cyber world?" Korsak asked as he walked into the bull pen.

"The common term kids are using this days is 'cyber space' and I didn't really find anything, this girl didn't even have a parking ticket or a fine. However, I found this." Frost replied as he slightly turned the computer screen to face Korsak who was standing behind him. "Apparently, Marianne was assaulted but this fanatic hockey mom."

The monitor showed a YouTube video, titled "Hockey Spat," that was recorded at an ice hockey match. There were two ladies. One was a portly, grouchy, and short lady. The other was an athletic, tanned, but somewhat plain looking Marianne.

"Ya stupid freak, you just blocked my view when you jumped up to cheer for ya stupid team!" The plump lady spoke angrily as she poked Marianne in the shoulder.

"I'm sorry ma'am. But, please, don't touch me." Marianne retorted and brushed the woman's hand away.

"I'll touch who I want and when I want." This time, the lady gave Marianne a slight shove, nearly causing Marianne to slip over the first row of seats and onto the floor.

"I said. Don't. Touch. Me." Marianne gritted her teeth. And this time, she slapped the woman's hard away.

The woman's face slowly turned a bright shade of red before she launched a punch aimed directly at Marianne's noise, causing her to fall over onto the floor.

"Let me warn you, you dare come close to me, and a bloody nose will be the least of your concerns." the woman warned.  
"Ooo...ouch. That sure doesn't look good. Have you ran that lady?" Korsak winced when he saw that punch.

"Yup. She has quite a file. Her name's Mary Bigsby. Charged with assault, causing bodily harm, being a nuisance, and that sorts."

"Well, she did say that a bloody nose would be the least of Marianne's concerns. Let's bring her in for questioning then."

* * *

PS: Thank you to CalzonaRizzlesLove! You know what you helped me with! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Hey, y'all! Hope the story is still going well. By the way, I know that Frost is technically no longer in the show, but, he still lives on, which is why he is in this story. Enjoy! :)

* * *

Jane was still in the morgue with Maura when Korsak called.

"Rizzoli." Jane answered.

"Jane, Marianne's girlfriend, Claire, just called. She's coming down to the station for questioning as we requested. Frost and I will be busy questioning Mrs. Bigsby, could you take Claire? She'll be in interview room number seven."

"Yeah, sure, sure. I'll be right up. By the way, Maura has the time of death down to about seven this morning. At least we have an estimate timing now." Jane said as she hung up. "Hey, Maur, I need to head up to the interview room."

"Of course, Jane." grinned Maura, showing her adorable dimples. Jane couldn't help but smile back.

* * *

Mary Bigsby was not a happy camper when she was brought in from questioning. The grouchy look she had was much more formidable in person. If looks could kill, Korsak and Frost would be dead meat by now.

"Mrs. Bigsby, can you tell me where you were yesterday morning from six to eight?" Frost questioned.

"In my bed. Why? What's this all about?" she snapped back.

They both ignored the question, and instead, Korsak asked, "You have quite a few complaints against you, eh? Broken noises, bodily harm, being a public nuisance, slashed tires." Korsak tossed a recent photo of Marianne. "You know this girl?"

Mary leaned forward and to get a better look. She thought awhile before replying, "Oh, that's the crazy woman who wouldn't stop cheering for her team."

"Mrs. Bigsby, do you remember what you said and did to her?" Frost asked.

"Well, yeah, she slapped me, so I punched her back."

Korsak rolled his eyes and looked at Frost, who tossed the photo taken of Marianne's broken body.

"If I remember correctly, you told her that a bloody nose would be the least of her concerns if you ever met her again. So you did this, huh?" Frost asked.

"What?! No! That's dumb. I may be violent, but I don't _kill-people-kind_ of violent." protested Mary as she picked up the photo. Her eyes widened when she realised that she was looking at the grotesquely bent and broken corpse. "Is that –? Oh my goodness, I think I'm gonna be sick."

And she promptly threw up whatever she had for breakfast and the meal before that. Frost and Korsak both leaped away from the table. Frost had to run out of the interrogation room before his stomach decides to add his own share to the stinking mound.

* * *

"I'm detective Rizzoli. You are Claire?" Jane greeted as she sat down opposite Claire.

"Yes, yes." Claire sniffed. "I'm sorry if I just start sobbing. It's just so hard to believe."

"Okay. I need to know where you were from six to eight this morning."

"I-I was wor-wor-k-k-k-ing a-a-at Dunkin' Donuts, doing the mor-morning sh-sh-sh-shift."

Seeing that Claire was in a fragile state and was about to burst into hysterics, Jane decided to let her loosen up first. So, she asked, "Tell me more about Marianne."

Here, Claire smiled, she paused for a deep breath before saying, "Marianne was my life. You know that saying 'Love at first sight'? That's how it was for the both of us. I had gone into the flower shop, hoping to find a rose. When she came to help me, I just knew it was her. We exchanged numbers, and slowly got to know each other better. Every time we met, she took more of my mind, soul, and heart with her, until gradually, I felt as if I couldn't survive without her, because she took everything. I will admit that she had me wrapped around her pinkie. All her idiosyncrasies were what made her unique."

Unbidden images and memories of Maura suddenly filled Jane's mind. She was brought back to the first time she met Maura when Jane had been undercover as a hooker. Jane smiled as she remembered how each time felt when she was with Maura. With a start, Jane realised that Claire had also just described Jane's relationship with Maura.

Claire sighed heavily, snapping Jane out her reverie. "I wish I could make her truly happy. She came out to her parents about a month ago, and she was quite upset when they had a hard time accepting her the way she was. Her mom understood better, but her dad was not too happy when he found out she was gay. Till this day, I've never actually met him before. He wanted to have nothing to do with me."

"Did anyone have any reason to murder Marianne?"

"Well, the only person I can think of is Marianne's ex-boyfriend. His name is Max Chaitin. He was more than upset when Claire broke up with him about two months ago. I am glad she did, though. That guy had a violent streak in him."  
Jane raised an eyebrow. _Now, that's a substantial clue._

Rising from her seat, and thus indicating that the interview was over, Jane shook Claire's hand and surprised even herself when she pulled Claire into a hug. Deep down in Jane's heart, she realised that this interview had opened up a box in Jane's heart she was aware of, but hesitant to touch.

Jane walked out of the interview room just in time to see Frost dash out of the other room and leaned his forehead against the wall. His entire face was green and he looked ready to puke. Jane smiled as she approached him.

"Hey, Frost, you okay?" Jane asked as she put a comforting hand on Frost's shoulder.

"Yeah, just – just give me a moment." Frost spoke haltingly.

Korsak walked out next, and didn't look too good too. "That Mary Bigsby sure had a mouthful of things to say." Korsak quipped. "She puked all over the interview room's floor when she saw the photo of Marianne's corpse. Man, even Frost isn't that bad."

Jane smiled when she heard what had happened, glad that she wasn't in there when it happened.

"Claire told me that Marianne had an ex-boyfriend named Max Chaitin. Frost, could you run him?" Jane requested when they had settled down at their desks.

"Sure." Frost replied, fingers flying over the keyboard as he typed in what he needed. "Whoa, look here, a month ago, he was charged with an assault that sent the victim to the ER unit."

Jane read aloud what was written on the screen that Frost showed her. "Charged with causing bodily harm to Claire Johnson, by strangling her. Victim was sent to ER unit for treatment."

* * *

P.S. Oh. My. Goodness. Totally forgot to go through the first paragraph - it was such a mess! Okay, edited it already. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **A huge thank you to the guest review who corrected my mistake in Chapter One!

Hope the story's still going well. Reviews are golden and helpful! Enjoy. :)

* * *

Jane was at Maura's house, where Angela had made them both lasagna. "Now, you girls enjoy your dinner, I have somewhere to go." Angela said with a grin.

"Thanks, Ma. Where are you going at this time of the night?" Jane asked. But, she paused awhile before continuing. "Wait, don't tell me. I don't wanna know if you will be snuggling with my boss – ouch!" Jane yelped as Angela used the dish towel to whack her daughter's arm.

"Where I go is none of your business, miss. And, it's not night time. It's only 8:53 P.M." admonished Angela. Jane merely smiled and ruefully rubbed her arm.

They ate in relative silence, and Maura could tell that something was on. She cleared her throat, "So, any leads on the case?"

"Hm? Oh, not really. Frost and Korsak thought they had one. But, she was so squeamish, they have written her off the suspect's list. Marianne did have a boyfriend, though. Frost and I will be checking in on him tomorrow." Jane replied.

"I see. You know, I read in an article that said 'Up to 30 percent of children are afraid of the sight of blood, a response that usually continues into adulthood, according to the definitive study on the topic, by Isaac Marks of the Institute of Psychiatry in London. That study also revealed that approximately 15 percent of the adult population faints when donating blood.' So that could probably explain why some people cannot stand the sight of blood."

Jane looked at Maura as if she (Maura) had grown a third eye. "Uh-huh...I can see why Mary Bigsby didn't donate blood, she apparently faints whenever the she tries too." Suddenly, Claire's words echoed in Jane's mind. _All her idiosyncrasies were what made her unique. _That was true of Maura. All her google-mouthing were what made her, well, _Maura_.

Jane was afraid. There was no way she could love Maura the way Claire loved Marianne. They were colleagues. She had already told Frankie that people shouldn't people with whom they work with. No, what Jane needed was space right now. She jumped up from her seat. "Hey, Maur, I just remembered that I had some things I need to do at home before tomorrow comes." Jane hastily emptied her half eaten lasagne and rushed out of the house. She felt guilty as Maura stared in shock at her abrupt behaviour.

The drive back to her apartment was filled with a one sided conversation with herself. _Smart move there. Now Maura must think you've finally gone off your rocker._

Jane's heart and mind were in a jumble of feelings, as if someone had cut an apple into pieces, mixed it in a jar of peanut butter, handed it to her, and told her to pick out the bits of apple from the sticky mess and assemble it. _Maybe what I need is some time away from Maura. Yes, stop spending so much time with her and see what happens._ She jerked when she felt her phone vibrating. Already knowing who it was, she opened up the message.

**M.** Are you all right? You bolted so suddenly. Was it something I said?

Jane typed out a quick reply and hit send. _No. Just hv to settle some things. Dun worry, it wasn't anything ya said. C u tmw!  
_

Maura rubbed her eyes when she saw Jane's reply. Maybe she was just overreacting, maybe Jane really did have something. More than anything else, Maura had hoped Jane would trust her enough and confided in her.

This was why she decided to work as a medical examiner. Dealing with the dead was so much easier than dealing with humans. At least the corpses didn't give you problems like this. Maura finished the rest of her dinner in absolute silence.

* * *

The next morning, Jane and Frost went over to Max's house. The address they arrived at was a ratty one story house. The lawn was overgrown with weeds, the paint work on the house was peeling, and the fences were in a deplorable state. Jane walked up the stairs and knocked on the door.

There was the sound of rustling papers and chairs being shoved before the door opened and a ruffled and unshaven young man stood at the entrance. "Yeah, what d'ya want?" Max squinted at Jane.

"Max Chaitin? We have a few questions we would like to ask you regarding Marianne Johnson. Tried calling you a few times, but no one picked up. I'm detective Rizzoli from the BPD."

At the mention of the police department, Max bolted. "Whoa! Frost! Go to the back entrance!" Jane yelled and they both started to give chase.

There was papers and trash all over the floor, it looked ten times as worse than the state Jane's house was in when she had gotten shot. She nearly tripped over a chair that Max toppled. Using the chair to her advantage, Jane picked it up and hurled it at Max, causing him to bowl over, and not a moment too soon before he reached the back door. Frost came in just in time and helped to cuff Max.

"Frost, I think I saw something when we were chasing him. Bring him along too." Jane said as she walked back to one of the rooms she had passed during the chase. Walking in, she was momentarily stunned at the number of pictures – which covered almost the entire four walls of the room – that were taken of Marianne and some of Claire. Jane glanced at the latest photo and saw that it was dated on the last day Marianne was alive.

Jane immediately called for the CSIU.

* * *

Max winced when Jane slapped a few of the photos that were taken from his house. "You wanna tell me what all this is about, huh?"

Max just remained tight lipped and continued to stare at the floor. It was time to turn on the heat. Jane slammed another photo of Marianne. This one was taken the night that Max had assaulted her. "You remember this? Look at her face, you freak." Jane then showed the final photo, the one taken at the crime scene. "Did it escalate into this, huh? Finally went all the way and killed her off?" Max's eyes ventured up for a few seconds to focus on the photos, before he resumed his staring competition with the floor.

By now, Jane was in Max's face, invading his personal space. "Listen, your house is now being investigated by our CSU. I don't think it will be long before we can find something to send you to prison, or better still, give you the death penalty."

At last, the threats had their effect, and Max responded in a loud voice. "Look here, I did not kill her. Sure, I did take those damn photos, and I did that to her face. But, I did not kill her."

At last, they had gotten him to talk. "Oh, really? Then why is there a photo of Marianne taken just a few hours before she was killed?" Frost asked.

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know! Okay?" Max whined. "I had taken just that few photos and that was it!"

"Where did you go after you took those pictures, then?" Frost followed up with another question.

"Home." Max sullenly replied, knowing how weak an alibi that was.

"Is there anyone who can vouch for your alibi?"

"No."

Jane and Frost shared a _Looks like we got out killer look_. Jane walked over to the door and knocked on it, summoning an officer. "Could you bring him to the holding cell?" The officer nodded and escorted Max out of the room.

"I am telling you, you've got the wrong person. I didn't kill nobody!" Max screamed as he was led out of the room.

Jane decided to head down to the cafe before going to the morgue.

As Jane refilled her coffee cup, Angela's voice boomed into her ear. "Janie, honey! How is your day going so far?"

"Goodness, Ma! You nearly made me spill my coffee!" Jane replied.

"Can't a mother say 'Hello' without getting snide remark back?" Angela sniffed.

"Oh, come on Ma. Fine, I am doing swell. How are _you_?"

But Angela didn't get a chance to reply, for Jane's phone rang. Angela watched as Jane's face turned from one of neutral expression to that of shock.

"What happened, honey?" Angela asked as soon as Jane hung up.

"Claire's dead."


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Chapter five, here we go! Enjoy. :)

* * *

Maura was just finishing up Marianne's autopsy when she noticed some tell-tale markings at the base of the cadaver's thumb. Upon closer inspection, Maura realized that it was eczema, and judging from its appearance, it was quite a serious case. Puzzled, she pulled out the report on the evidence found in Marianne's backpack.

Maura scanned the list until she found what she was looking for – the name of the two medicinal cream. She noted the ingredients: Clobetasol Propionate 0.05% in ISC Emollient and Tacrolimus Ointment 0.1% with Emollient Base. Then she went back and collected a skin sample from the eczema affected area, ran it through some simple test, and mulled over the results. The results were not adding up.

Just as she was about to head up to the bull pen, her phone rang, informing her that her presence was needed at Claire's death scene.

* * *

Claire looked as if she had died in her sleep. She was lying face up on her bed. There were a few bruises on her cheek, but her face was peaceful, still looking as if she were still dreaming. However, her chest did not move up and down, and there was no pulse to be felt.

Maura looked up when she heard Jane, Frost, and Korsak approaching the crime scene. For a moment, Maura was unsure how to act. _Do I pretend that nothing happened after last night? Do we act like we always do? _

Luckily, Jane answered that question for her when she greeted Maura with a grin. "Hey, Maur, you got anything yet?"

"Not really, just got here a few minutes ago. But, from the petechiae in her eyelids and neck, cause of death would probably be from suffocation. Liver temp indicates that death happened at about two this morning. And this is really interesting, there are no strangulation marks on her neck."

"Wow, yeah. She actually doesn't look like she was murdered by someone. In fact, it looks like she just up and died." said Jane as Maura went over and pulled the corpse's shirt up, exposing the chest. "Whoa, Maura! What are you doing?"

"Hmmm…there's an impression on her chest, as if there were a heavy weight that crushed her torso." Maura was lost in thought for a while before she muttered, "Oh."

"'Oh' what Maura?"

"This looks like a case of burking. I don't see this kind of murders that often."

"Wait, isn't one of the burking methods to sit on the chest, using a hand to cover the mouth and nose, and also pushing the jaw upward."

"Yes, that would be one of the method. You can see that there is a compression on Claire's abdomen. I recently read about the duo that committed a series of murders called the Westport Murders. They were the ones whom the 'burking' is named for. Apparently, in 1828, William Hare and William Burke murdered about eleven people over a period of ten months. They used burking as a means to kill their victims so as to sell the corpses at a higher price to the medical schools."

"Mm-hm…that's real interesting, Maura." teased Jane. Maura merely rolled her eyes. "There were no signs of forced entry anywhere in the house."

Korsak interjected. "Which, would mean that the Claire probably let the killer in.

And Frost finally finished it off with. "Which, would then also mean that she wasn't killed in her bed."

"Who called in her murder?" Jane asked Frost.

"She was due for a breakfast with one of her clients. Didn't show up, client called the boss. Boss tried to contact Claire, who usually is very responsible, but couldn't get in touch with her. He was worried, so he called the police. First officer found her like this."

Korsak suddenly noticed a flap a paper tucked between the pillow and bed. Snapping on his latex gloves, he picked it up and help it against the light. "Well, look here. It says, 'This is all your fault.'"

"What?" Jane and Frost asked simultaneously.

Korsak handed the slip of paper to them. "Here."

Jane, Maura, and Frost crowded around and studied the paper. "Well, at least it is hand written." Maura said.

Frost looked at Jane. "Jane, I was checking the cameras around where Max is staying and it shows him arriving home at ten last night, and left the house at five the next morning and returned again two hours later. You know that if this was a 'personal agenda', that would probably mean that Max Chaitin is innocent, right?"

"Ugh!" Jane moaned. "Now this changes the game. This could be a hate crime."

"Looks like we have to look at this case from another angle now. Let's check the rest of the house." Korsak said as he left the room. Frost and Jane followed.

"Jane, wait." called Maura.

Jane stopped mid-stride and turned around. "Yeah, Maura?"

"Do you want to come over tonight? I am trying a new quiche recipe."

Jane was about to agree. But, her eyes fell on the corpse of Claire, and remembered all the things that Claire. Remembered how the words had opened the Pandora's Box that Jane had hidden away in her heart. Remembered the little pep talk Jane had given herself about not spending so much time with Maura. "I would love to Maura, but I have something on tonight with, uh, Tommy and TJ. Maybe, another time?"

Disappointment flashed Maura's hazel eyes. "Okay. Another time. Have fun with your nephew!"

Jane smiled in reply as she exited the room. Each step she took on the way out made her heart ache even harder and harder…

* * *

The only way Jane knew how to escape from dwelling too much on her personal issues was to dive headfirst into the deepest depth of work. And that was what she was doing now. She was lounging on her red couch, with her files spread out across the coffee table and her favorite brand of beer in her hand. Jane rubbed her temples and went over the notes one more time.

There was absolutely nothing, _nothing_. It couldn't be her girlfriend – as most murders sometimes resulted from a complications in a relationship – as Claire was dead. It might have been Max Chaitin, but there was no evidence that could put him at both crime scenes. Marianne had no known enemies and her social and phone records showed no anomalies. Her family was a close-knit one. That left nobody, freaking nobody and no motive.

Jane started looking through known anti-LGBT organizations and any individual that had been arrested for hate crimes against any gays.

One name that she kept coming back to was John J. Murray. He had started an organization trying to prevent as much gay rights movement as possible. He had also been served harassment charges. It was a long stretch, but when an investigation has almost no suspects, anything or anyone was worth suspecting.

_He is worth looking into_ was Jane's last thought as she keeled sideways from sheer exhaustion and landed nicely on the couch.

* * *

Maura was reading one of her medical journals when she suddenly remembered the clue that she had wanted to tell Jane. She glanced at the clock and noticing that it was only 11 P.M., she snatched up her phone and pressed her speed dial. She got the voicemail. _That's weird, her phone is usually always with her, and she usually only sleeps at around midnight or later_. She waited another ten minutes before trying again, but she got directed to voicemail once more.

_She did say that she would be with Tommy and TJ tonight. I'll try Tommy._ Tommy picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hey, Tommy." Maura greeted.

"Hey, Maura! What's up?"

"I was wondering, is Jane still with you?"

"Jane? Uh, I wouldn't know. She wasn't and isn't with me."

"Oh." Maura was surprised. "I thought she was going to spend some time with you and TJ."

"Nah, I am with Lydia right now, and TJ is sleeping soundly in his crib."

"Okay. Thanks, Tommy. Goodnight." Maura replied as she hung up. She sat staring at the screen of her phone. Jane had never out rightly lied to her like this. Maura was hurt. Why would Jane lie to her? Since the night Jane had ran out of her house, Jane had not been acting normally. Throughout the entire day, she had expected Jane to drop by any minute to check on the autopsy. But, no. Jane had been at the BRIC working away with all the paper work and suspect lists. It almost seemed as if Jane was avoiding her.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: How is the story so far? Good, no good? There is a Ramona and Beezus reference in here. I wanted a chapter to be on the killer's point of view. So, here it is. Reviews are golden and helpful – makes me a better writer! Enjoy. :)

* * *

Murderers have their different methods of killing people. Some like it messy: mutilating them whether it be on the body or face, chopping them to pieces, gutting them, and so on...

Then, there are those like me:  
Neat, precise. People who take one clear shot, one clean slice of the neck, one quick snap of the neck. I liked killing and leaving no blood stains and mess. Without blood splatters, the police would be hard pressed to even find out where the actual murder took place. Quick, clean, efficient.

Killing Marianne was easy. Surprise was on my side. I mean, I know her, and she thinks she knows me and when I put on sincerely fake, apologetic voice, she fell for it. Snapping her neck was simple, and it reminded me of something that happened when I was younger:

My dad had bought three hens and a rooster back to our farm at Illinois. From then on, we would have a hen every Thanksgiving. When I was seven, I had been playing out with my dog when I came across my dad, and found out how he killed the hens - he snapped their necks. Painless and efficient. I would sneak back every year and watched as he did. Finally, when I was twelve I asked my dad to let me try. I was a pro at it.

However, there was one major difference compared to killing a chicken and killing a human. It was the feeling. I thought I could handle it, but boy, was I wrong. The thought still haunts me, which is why I blame to person who brought all this on - Claire. If it weren't for her, Marianne would still be alive, and I would be happy. That is why I need to get rid of her, the one who started it all.

Killing Claire was harder than I thought it was. She was more wary of me. But, I pulled out the "emotion" card and she fell for it. Works like a charm with almost the entire female population, emotion is their weakest point. Reels them in like a sea bass.

And boy, could she struggle. When she sensed something was wrong, she put up quite a fight, swinging and squirming here and there. Some of the punches that landed were actually quite painful.

I had to grapple her and land a few of my own punches before I could finally gain the upper hand. _This is for Marianne, my baby. This was the woman that corrupted you. I truly am sorry that you had to go. But, here is a recompense for you! _

All of a sudden, I felt a bite on my wrist. It hurt like hell. Lifting her head, I slammed it back on the ground, stunning her, and breaking her spirit. I saw the defeat in her eyes, and I knew that my job was almost done.

At last, her body went limp. Carrying her up from the living room floor, I brought her and laid her down on the bed. I brought out the piece of paper I had written and tucked it under the pillow, making sure that a small flap was visible.

As I walked back home, I felt as if a burden was lifted from my shoulders and wings had sprouted in its place. This is how a sense of justice and freedom must feel like.

* * *

AN: Hehehehe…so, there was something in this story that might clue you in on what evidence might be found. :) Sorry, it is a bit of a shorter chapter. So, I'll try to put up the next chapter no latest than tomorrow morning.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: So, after the last chapter, who do you think it is? Any ideas? Anyways, here's Chapter 7, we have about three more to go. Hope y'all are still enjoying it! Reviews are golden and helpful. Enjoy. :)

Jane pushed open the door to the bullpen. John J. Murray followed closely behind and Frost brought up the rear. Already, this short, androgenetic alopecia VI, – with whatever hair was left tied up into a ponytail – and near sighted man was starting to get on her nerves. He started whistling a tune, and Jane shot him an annoyed look, effectively shutting him up.

They brought him to Jane's desk where Jane asked him the first question. "Sons and daughters of Adam, that's your catch phrase, isn't it?"

John looked miffed as he answered, "I'm offended. These are sacred words associated with pornography."

"How about associated with murder?" Frost glared.

"I think it's interesting that they sent a female and an African American to interview me about a homosexual murder." said John in disbelief.

"You don't like women or African Americans either."

"Well, I have a right to my opinion."

"Only if you don't enforce it by a two by four." Jane cut in.

"We're gonna need to see a list of your members." Frost said.

"Oh, sure." John replied as he opened his briefcase and took out a massive volume. "I came prepared."

Jane and Frost's eyes widened when they saw the list of members.

"Those are all the members?" Frost asked.

"We're national. Satan is using homosexuals to destroy the kingdom of God."

Jane rolled her eyes and looked at Frost. "Be on the lookout for a man in a red cape with a tail and pointy ears." she said sarcastically.

"I will pray for you." John looked concernedly at Jane, his face filling with compassion.

"No, thank you. I'll do it myself." came the reply.

Frost smirked as he led John out. Jane glanced down at her watch. She realised that she hadn't been down to the morgue since yesterday. Deep down, she knew that it was because she still wanted some distance. But, _I do need to see how the evidence from the autopsy is coming up. _she reasoned with herself. She hauled herself up and went down to the Maura's office.

Maura was officially angry. Jane had never lied to her like this before. Never. She gripped the scalpel that she was holding a little too tightly. Taking a few cleansing breaths, she bent down over Claire's head, calmly trying to continue with her examination.

So far, the evidence from the autopsy pointed towards death by burking. There were a few bruises present on the cheek. Other than that, the face was relatively clean. Opening the jaw, Maura's keen eyes nearly missed the clue embedded within the teeth. Grabbing a forceps, Maura gingerly lifted up the flap of skin that was trapped between the two front teeth.

She placed it into a petri dish and walked out of the autopsy suite to call for Susie. "Could you please run this for me and see if you can find a DNA match?"

"Sure, doctor Isles." Susie smiled as she took the petri dish.

Maura walked back and was surprised when she saw Jane leaning against one of the metal tables. "Detective Rizzoli, what are you doing here?"

_Uh-oh_ was Jane's immediate thought. Whenever they went on a last name basis, it meant that something was wrong. "Uh, hi, Maura." Jane tentatively responded. "I was wondering if you had anything for me."

"As a matter of fact, I do. Yesterday, I found out that the cream that Marianne had supposedly packed into her bag has not been used for over six months. Her thumb had quite an extreme case of eczema. However, after running some test through her skin sample, I did not find any traces of the drugs."

"Wow, gee, Maura. Thanks! That would probably mean that bag was packed by someone else who went into her house. And, either the cream does not belong to her at all, or the killer just didn't know that Marianne was not using it. Aaaannnddd, that someone would probably have to be very close to her. Like her parents, girlfriend, or even ex-boyfriend. Why on earth did you wait until today to tell me?"

Maura did not bother to hold in the icy cold tone in which she replied. "I would have. I tried calling you. But, apparently, you were too busy spending time with Tommy and TJ. Oh, wait, is that where you really were last night?"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Great, now you're telling a lie about a lie. How long do you want to go before you run out of lies?"

Suddenly, it Jane remembered that she had lied to Maura about going to visit Tommy and TJ. She had totally forgotten about that. "Oh, uh, that. Yeah, actually I –"

"Save it. I thought I was at least your friend, Jane. I thought you at least trusted me. Why would you lie to me?"

Jane could see the anger and hurt and disappointment in Maura's eyes. "Maura, please I can explain, just give me time, I myself need some time to –"

For the second time, Jane was interrupted, this time, it was her phone that did it. "Rizzoli."

"Hey, Jane. You should come up here. I was looking through Max's phone records, and I think I found something."

"Okay, I'll be right up." Jane hung up and looked back at Maura. "I have to go."

Maura merely headed into her office and sat down behind her desk. _I need to get out for a while. What came over me? I need some fresh air!_

Her eyes fell on the folder that held the list of evidence collected from the Marianne's backpack. _Well, I might as well go over to Marianne's parent's house and ask them whether they would have any idea who was close enough to Marianne to pack that bag for her._

She grabbed her car keys, picked out the photograph taken of the cream, a few other slips of paper, and left the building.

"Hey, Frost, what do you have for me?" Jane asked as she entered the room.

"Hey, so, I was checking – have you been crying?" Frost abruptly cut off when he noticed that Jane's eyes were slightly red and teary.

"No, I was helping Maura cut onions in the morgue." Jane snarked back.

Frost knew better than to probe, so he wisely continued with what he wanted to say. "Okay, anyways, I was looking through Max's phone records, and I found some calls that were made back and forth between him and a certain Christopher Johnson, Marianne's dad."

"What? How many calls were made, and when?"

"Well, starting from about a month ago, at most two calls were made every week and only lasted for about nine minutes."

"Well, that's quite frequent. Worth checking into."

Just then, Susie knocked before walking up to Jane. "Um, detective Rizzoli, do you know where doctor Isles is? She sent me to check the DNA found in Claire's mouth and I got the results back already."

"No, Susie, I don't know where she is. I thought she was in her office? That was where she last was."

"I checked. She wasn't there. I guess I'll just leave it on her desk then."

Jane stopped her. "Wait, let me see the file first. I wanna know whose DNA that is." Jane thanked Susie when she handed the file over. Jane opened up the file and nearly dropped it when she saw the name. The DNA belonged to Christopher Johnson.

Maura parked her Lexus opposite the Johnson's house, grabbed the file that she had brought, stuck her phone in her pocket, and crossed over. The door was opened almost immediately after she knocked. A harried looking Christopher greeted her. He was wearing a hoodie. "Yes? How may I help you?"

"Hi, I am Maura Isles, Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I have one or two questions that I would like to ask you regarding Marianne. Do you have a few minutes?"

Just then the papers in the folder slipped out onto the doorstep. "Oh, no."

"Here, let me help you." Christopher said as he stooped down to pick out the stray pieces of paper. As he stretched his hand out, the sleeve on his right hand rode up, revealing a bite mark at his wrist.

Maura saw it and, before she could stop herself, she looked up in shock. Christopher realised his mistake and saw that gleam of recognition in Maura's eyes. He quickly brought his hand over her mouth and brought the other hand down Maura's head, effectively knocking her out.

AN: Dun-dun-dun-dun! And the plot thickens as the action explodes! :)


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Sigh…this chapter was so hard to write. Totally didn't like the way it turned out. But, "the show must go on!" So, sorry if it is not as nice.

Warning: a bit of violence here.

* * *

The first thing Maura noticed when she came to was the throbbing in her head. It felt heavy and suppressed, as if something were pressing against her brain. She sat up gingerly and found her hands bound behind her back.

However, there was one thing that made her consciousness come to fully. The phone was in her pocket. It was either pure luck, or Christopher was one dumb jerk. She mentally assessed herself and found out that the only thing hurting was her head.

Her vision cleared and she could see that she was in a small hut. It smelled like fish. As she looked around, she realized why. There were four different kinds of fishing rods lining one side of the wall. There was a door on the wall right in from of her. One single window was fixed in the wall opposite the fishing rod.

A tackle box stood on top of a small table. Christopher was sitting on the chair next to the spot where the tackle box was, leaning his head on his hand. "You're up." His voice sounded hoarse.

"Why?" was the first question Maura asked. She winced when she felt her parched throat.

"I thought it would end with Claire, but you had to come around and poke your nose in the investigation. I know that if I were to let you go, you would have told that other friend of yours, that Jane Rizzoli, and I would have come crumbling down. I might as well bring down as many as I can, eh? I am sure people will come looking for you." Looking down at his watch, "It's 8 P.M. now, I am only going to give them only six hours. Then, if they do not find you, I will dispose of you and see how long before they can find your body and whether they can connect the dots to me."

With a start, Maura remembered that she hadn't told anybody where she was going. _But, they will start to notice. Plus, I've got my phone, I've just got to keep talking and keep him distracted. _"Why, Christopher? And, most importantly why kill your own daughter? Why?"

"You really won't shut up about that, huh? Well, since this may be your last few hours on earth, I'll tell you why. My daughter, my baby, turned into a freaking dyke. You know _what I hate_ the most? Freaking dykes and faggots! I suppose you saw Max before? I heard that they brought him in for questioning. Well, at least Jane would be the one to see him. He had looks, he was the son I always wanted. He was like me. He had things going well for him. I was elated when he started dating Marianne. But, she had to go and defile herself with that Claire. You know how they met, at a flower shop. Where Marianne worked. Marianne told me it was love at first sight. Do you believe that? At first sight? Then she broke up with Max after being with him for a year. You should have seen how that changed Max. Suddenly, life had no meaning for him. It had such a negative effect on him."

"Well, you could have tried to talk to Marianne, find out why she wanted to be with Claire. She was a grown woman with grown feelings." Maura piped up. Unbeknownst to Christopher, who hadn't been paying much attention, Maura had managed to sit somewhat sideways and dig the phone out her pocket. She her breath as she shifted back with her face facing straight at Christopher. She quickly pressed the speed dial and prayed that Jane wouldn't shout into the phone.

"You think I didn't?" Christopher shouted. Maura winced. "She simply refused to listen to reason. She totally went against what I wanted. I only wanted the best for her. You know what she did? She just turned around, gathered a few of her stuff, and walked out the door. How's that for you? Raised her for her entire life and that's how she treats you. Just walk out of your life like that."

"Why didn't you just let it be then? I saw the damage that you did to Marianne and Claire. You were very controlled. I wouldn't expect such discipline."

Suddenly, in between the silence before Christopher answered, the sound of a monster-truck loud horn blared into the phone. Maura's heart stopped when Christopher leaped out from his chair and towards her.

He wrenched her away from the wall, causing the phone to clatter to the floor. He roared as he snatched it up, threw it on the floor and crushed it with the heel of his foot. He then turned his fury to Maura. "You bitch!" He kicked her right in the stomach, knocking the all the air out of her lungs.

He grabbed her under the shirt's collar and hauled her up with one hand, using the other hand, he rained punches all over her body and face. Maura felt one of the ribs give way, making an audible snap. She screamed in pain.

But, Christopher ignored her cries and his next punch, this time, broke her nose, spurting blood all over his shirt and a bit sprinkled on his face.

_Jane, I know you got that call. Please come soon._

* * *

Once more, Jane and Frost interviewed Max Chaitin who was serving some time for charges on stalking. Frost set the phone records in front of him. "Would you like to explain why Marianne's dad, Christopher, called you so frequently?"

"'Cause we're talking?" Max replied in a _duh_ voice.

"About what exactly?"

"Stuff." Was the guarded response.

Jane rubbed her eyes. She hated suspects like this. Those that make you go one big round before you can get a substantial answer. "Listen, buddy, I know that you know more than you had let on. If I have to dig up the information by myself, I will make sure that your prison stay will be so bad, you will wish you were never born. Ya hear me? I'm sick and tired of playing games. Tell me what stuff exactly, that the both of you were talking about." Her voice commanding. She stared at him, her eyes ablaze with as much fury as she could muster.

"Fine, fine. Chris wanted me to find out where Marianne had moved and there Claire was staying. I was to give him a weekly update."

"Do you know why he wanted to know their schedule?" Frost asked.

"I think he wanted to get into Marianne's house. If I am not wrong, his wife had the key to her daughter's house. As long as he paid me, I was happy."

_Finally, a break._ With the evidence found on Claire and with what Max had said, it would be enough to bring Christopher in for questioning, and hopefully, get to the bottom of this case.

Jane looked to Frost. "I think it's time to pay the Johnsons another visit."

When she walked into the bull pen, she found Susie standing near her desk. "Susie, whatcha doing here?"

"It's doctor Isles. She still isn't back. She knew that she had another autopsy to finish up for detective Crowe, it's 7:45 P.M. and it's not like her to be so late."

"She's not back yet? Frost, I'll meet you at the car park. Susie, let's go to her office. Maybe she wrote a note or something." Jane said as she moved to the lift while calling her mother. "Hey, Ma, you at Maura's guest house right now? ... Is she at home? … Okay, thanks, Ma …. No, don't worry. I'm just checking where she is. … No, stay there, Ma! … Good, just stay there." Jane rolled her eyes as she hung up.

"Why don't you just give doctor Isles a call?" Susie reasonably asked.

"Unless I am absolutely certain that Maura is not in danger, I will call her. Think about it, if there were the remote possibility that she were kidnapped we would jeopardize her if the kidnapper had not taken her phone and he hears the ringing, destroying her only lifeline. We would have to wait for her to make a move. She's a smart one. If he did take, he would most certainly have destroyed it." the rational part of Jane's brain reasoned.

Everything on the desk looked the same. After all, Maura could not stand clutter as much as parents cannot stand rebellious teenagers. However, Jane noticed that the one of the files was open, the one containing the evidence and pictures of the contents of the backpack. Scanning through the papers, Jane noticed that the ones containing information on the cream was gone.

Her head snapped up. That tingling of her intestines was back. More often than not, they had always been correct. "I think I know where she went."

* * *

The first thing Jane that noticed as soon as Frost pulled up to the Johnson's house, was Maura's Lexus. Her heart stared pounding as she and Frost walked up to the door. "Excuse me, Mrs. Johnson, is Christopher at home?" Jane asked once the door was opened. This was not a time for needless pleasantries.

"Oh, hi, detectives. No, Chris left about an hour ago. He said that one of his buddies had an emergency and needed help."

"Did you see him when he left the house?"

"No, I was in the kitchen, stir-frying a wok of broccolis. He was in a rush, so he just shouted out to me that he was heading out. What is this all about?" Mrs. Johnson was starting to get alarmed at these sudden questions.

"We have reason to suspect that Christopher might have something to do with the Medical Examiner's disappearance." Jane was glad that she did not break into hives like Maura, for the only "reason" was because her gut told her so. "I would appreciate it if you could tell me if your husband has any other small cabin or hutch?"

Mrs. Johnson looked about ready to faint. "What do you mean my husband might be a suspect?"

"Mrs. Johnson, please, time is of the essence. The faster we get information, the faster we can solve up any 'misunderstanding' or such." Jane pleaded.

"Of course, of course. Well, he had a little fishing hut somewhere near the one of the forests, I can't remember which one. Anyways, here is the location." Mrs. Johnson replied as she took a sticky note from one of the drawers near the entrance and wrote down the address.

"Thank you so much. We will keep you informed." Jane thankfully took the proffered sticky note.

"Frost, pass me the keys please, I want to drive." Jane demanded as they walked back to the car.

At this request, Frost's eyes widened slightly. "Uh-uh. Even when you are not in a hurry, it is a hazard to other traffic. Let me." Frost spoke with a voice laced with steel, subduing any argument that would have come out of Jane's mouth.

Frost was true to his word and got the both of them safely to the forest. They had to trek through the forest to get to the little hut, which was actually quite small. It looked to be about ten feet by seven feet. As they approached the door, Jane motioned to Frost to angle himself close to the window, should their suspect choose to run out the window.

Jane banged her fist against the door. "Boston police. Open up!" She quickly counted to five, _One thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, five thousand, _before shifting all her weight onto her shoulder and shoving against the door –


	9. Chapter 9

AN: I made it to nine! Ahahaha…I was really worried I would "expire" before I made it here. I hope this is good. To be honest, these later chapters are kinda hard to write. Enjoy. :)

* * *

The door broke when Jane barrelled in. The light that streamed in hurt Maura's eyes, for the room was dimly lighted. It nearly distracted her from what she had set her mind to do.

_Before Jane and Frost had arrived, Christopher had set her down and moved to crouch behind the small table, so that both the window and door was in his peripheral vision. Maura knew that whoever came in first had the best chance to die first. And deep down in her heart, she just knew that Jane would be the one to enter first. That was how she was. Always willing to be the first one into the head of trouble. Always willing to be the one in the front lines._

_Chris had taped up her mouth too, disallowing her to shout out any warning. Maura just had to do something. Sure, she had wanted Jane to rescue her, but if it meant that her (Jane's) life would be in danger, Maura was then not willing to risk that. In a morbid way of thinking, at least they would have found her body, instead of going through a "treasure hunt" to look for her, would be, decaying corpse._

_With that thinking in mind, Maura determined to at least do her best to prevent anyone else from dying. Since the hut was a small one, Maura knew that she would be able to at least hurl herself towards Christopher and that would at least throw his aim way off. Maura didn't bother to think of the damage that may be done on her side, she didn't care. After all, love is blind, isn't it?_

_Maura regretted that she had waited for Jane to be the one to make the move. She knew that Jane was not just her best friend, she was more than that. There were subtle signs. But, Maura wanted Jane to be the one that was comfortable enough to bring it up. Now, things weren't looking too good for her and her wish right now was to be able to tell Jane one thing._

It was time for action now. Maura forced every iota of strength she had left and tossed herself as best as she could, towards Christopher, crashing into him and knocking him off balance.

Jane yelled her name when she saw what Maura had done. Two shot followed almost immediately. Maura wasn't sure if she had taken a bullet herself or if Jane had managed to get a shot at Chris. Because, everything hurt. It hurt so much, she couldn't even cry out. Her vision was starting to fade already.

Jane's heart was breaking into a million pieces when she rushed to Maura's side. She had managed to fire a shot off, but she wasn't sure if she had hit Christopher. Her doubts were put to rest when she saw that blood was gushing from his side.

Frost had whipped out his phone and dialled for the ambulance when he heard the gunshots.

"Maur, Maur, can you hear me?" Jane wept as she gently cradled Maura's bruised and battered body.

"Hey, Jane. Ne-need to tell y-y-you someth-thing." Maura whispered.

Jane had to bend closer to catch Maura's words. It was then that she noticed that there was a bullet hole in Maura's hip. Jane took in a sharp intake of breath. "Maura, you're shot."

"Can't feel it." Maura stopped to take in another shallow breath. "Jane, li-listen. I lo-l-love yo-you. I love you."

Jane was shocked silent. She almost missed the fact that Maura's eyes were now closed and her chest was barely moving.

"Freaking homos." Christopher croaked.

Frost, who had been standing silently standing at the corner, giving the detective and the doctor some personal space, went forward and cuffed Christopher's hand in the front. "You are under arrest for the murder of Claire, possible murder of Marianne, and deadly assault on a medical examiner. You have the right to remain silent." Frost growled, he had to restrain himself from lashing out at him.

Suddenly, Jane's cries rented the room. "Maura? Maur! MAURA! Baby, please, don't close your eyes, don't close…" Maura had totally stopped breathing. Her broken body gave no sign of movement.

* * *

Jane was about ready to kill somebody. When the ambulance had arrived, they had disallowed her to ride with Maura. That left Jane in a quagmire. Maura had stopped breathing, and her pulse was so faint, it could barely be felt. "Frost, please, could you get me to the hospital as fast as you can?" Jane looked to him with tear-stained eyes.

"I was going to." was Frost's quick reply.

Jane followed Frost like a zombie. All she could think of was Maura, Maura, Maura, and what Maura had said. As she slumped in the car's front seat, she couldn't help but mentally beat herself up. Why did it take so long just to accept that she loved Maura too? Now, it might be too late to tell her that.

Frost glanced at Jane. "You know, you should probably call Constance and Hope. They would need to know about their daughter."

There was no response. "Jane? JANE!" Frost nearly had to yell into Jane's ear.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard ya. I'll call them now." came the morose response. It was not going to be easy.

* * *

Jane rushed to the counter fast as she could. "I am looking for Maura Isles, the chief medical examiner. May I know which operating room she is in?"

The nurse looked up at the harried Jane. "Sure, I can tell you where it is, but you are only allowed to wait outside, at the provided chairs. It's operating room sixteen."

"Thanks!" Jane tossed over her shoulder as she sprinted towards the room. Frost followed closely behind, making a few calls to Korsak – who had been called onto another case with another partner – and Angela. Frost was certain that Jane needed someone to be there to give her a great, big hug. Angela was just the person who would be the best at comforting her daughter.

* * *

"Jane, you are going to wear a hole into the floor if you keep pacing." Angela said.

Jane looked up and saw the number of people gathered. Angela, Hope, Caitlin, Constance, Frost, Korsak (who managed to take some time off), Frankie, and even Tommy were all here. The door was pushed open and the surgeon came out. He looked grim, yet relieved.

Immediately, Jane was on him. "How is she doing? Is everything okay? Can I, we, go in and visit her?"

The surgeon instinctively stepped backwards, overwhelmed by the onslaught of questions. "Maura is now in a stable condition. We managed to extract the bullet, transfuse some blood to compensate the amount of blood lost, and gave her some painkillers for the broken rib. And, to answer your last question, you may visit her now. She should just be coming out of the sedatives we gave her. However, only two by two at most, and for a few minutes. After that, I would request that you just let her rest for the time being.

Jane nodded. Angela, being the wise and loving mother, knew that Jane would want some time alone, and took charge of organizing who would pair up to go into the room. "Frost, you can go with Korsak. I will go with Constance, Frankie, go with Tommy, Hope and Caitlin, you can go together, and Jane, you can go last and by yourself."

Tears threatened to come out of Jane's eyes. "Thanks, Ma. You don't have to wait for me. I'll head back to my apartment when I am done." She whispered as she initiated a rare hug with her mom.

* * *

AN: Next chapter might be posted after the weekend. (For any wondering, I do not live in the States, so, timing wise, we are very different.) Will probably start off with a talk Jane has with Maura. :)


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Last chapter. *sob sob* I hope y'all enjoyed it. To be honest, this being my first story, I found it kinda hard to write. Some chapters were easier than others. Some were not. I want to give a special shout-out to **cjunited38**. Thank you for being such a kind reviewer and for your support! Thank you to all those who stuck with me through ten chapters! Hope this chapter is good. Enjoy! :)

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Jane took a deep breath before entering the room. Maura lay surrounded by various tubes and monitors. Her eyes fell on the recumbent figure that looked so dwarfed by all the instruments surrounding her. Jane walked slowly to Maura's side and sat down on the provided stool. Maura was awake, and turned to look over at her visitor. "Hey, Jane." Maura's voice rasped.  
Jane smiled and reach for Maura's hand. "Hey, Maur." Tears started to trickle down Jane's cheek. "Maura, Maura, I was so scared when I found you. I thought that I could have nearly lost you."

For a moment, there was a silence, before the dam in Jane's heart broke. She buried her face into the blanket near Maura's side and sobbed her soul out. She cried for all the times that she had kept her feelings locked up in that Pandora's Box of hers.

She cried for all the nagging thoughts that she had pushed into a corner of her mind and suppressed it there.

She cried for all the tears that she had not allowed herself to shed.

Maura gingerly brought her hand to Jane's back and curls soothingly patting her and brushing her fingers through Jane's hair.

After a while, when Jane's tears had subsided, Maura quietly asked, "You okay, Jane? Wanna tell me about it?"

Jane hiccupped a few times before she calmed down enough to reply. "Maura, I love you. I love you, I love you, I LOVE YOU! I am so sorry it took this to make me realise what a fool I am. I thought I had all the time to sit down and thoroughly think over every little aspect when, in my heart, I already knew. It was staring right into my face. I am so sorry it took this for me to accept that I do love you. I am such a fool, Maura."

"Ssshhh…Jane, look at me." Jane lifted her tear stained face to look into Maura's compassionate hazel eyes. "It's okay. It was partly my fault too. I was making for you to make the move, which I could have made too. Don't give yourself all the blame. Plus, I didn't tell you where I was going because I was still mad at you."

"Oh, Maura. That's how you are. Kind, compassionate, always willing to be the one who comforts people. Even if it means giving someone your kidney." Jane quipped.

Maura grinned, causing a small flash of pain to cross her beaten face. She was glad that Jane was starting to perk up a little. She hesitated to say what was on her mind, but, doggone it if they were going to wait for each other to make a move.

"Jane, I know this is going to either sound real cheesy of plain weird, however, starting from this moment onwards, would you be my girlfriend?"

Jane's face split into a wide grin. She covered Maura's hand with both of hers. "Yes, Maura. I will be yours, and you will be mine." she paused for a while. "Maura, can I kiss you? I won't hurt you, will I?"

"Jane, shut up and do it."

"So bossy." Jane chuckled. She stood up, leaned over, and claimed Maura's lips for her own.

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_ONE MONTH LATER_

Maura made a smooth road to recovery, especially since she had Jane acting as her 'nurse'.

Christopher Johnson, already defeated, confessed and was convicted of both Marianne's and Claire's murder. And, also, the kidnapping of a chief medical examiner. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Mrs. Johnson nearly had a heart attack when she found out what her husband had done. However, she was a strong woman and picked herself up. She decided not to remarry and instead, she sold her house, bought a smaller one, and spent more time at her children's house, playing an important influence on her grandchildren.

Max Chaitin was released after serving his time, his sentence being reduced when he witnessed against Christopher. He gradually went into drug abuse, was arrested a few times, and ultimately died of a drug overdose about half a year after all these events.

Jane and Maura, well, let's just say that their relationship was upgraded to a whole new level. Both their sets of parents were already expecting this and were not surprised when both the girls came out. Angela was especially ecstatic and immediately badgered them about grandchildren. In the police department, money changed hands several times as several of Jane and Maura's colleagues had placed different bets.

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Jane popped down to the morgue. Today marked a month after Maura was kidnapped and the day they had officially became a couple. Jane wanted to bring Maura out for a special dinner date.

"Maur, are you almost done? We can go once you are." Jane hollered.

"Almost. Just a few more seconds." Maura's voice came from the office where she was finishing a report. Jane stepped in just as Maura signed her name at the bottom of the paper.

"By the way, I would like to stop by a cemetery. Visit a, uh, friend." Jane said.

Maura quirked an eyebrow. But decided not to tease. "Sure, anything Jane."

As they both reached the grave yard, Jane cleared her throat and turned to Maura. "I hope you don't mind if I go alone? I would like a little quiet moment."

"Not at all, dear. I'll just wait for you here." Maura replied as she leaned over and quickly pecked Jane on the cheek.

Jane took the white rose that she had brought along, got out of the car and walked down the row of tombstones, looking for one in particular. At last, she came to a stop at the name "Claire Holloway."

She laid the rose down. "Claire, I just wanted to come here and thank you. That little part you shared about Marianne opened my eyes. You made me realise things that I had chosen to ignore. In a way, you and Marianne were the ones that started the ball rolling, unlocked the things that I had compartmentalize into different areas of my heart and mind, and affected my life. Thank you so much, Claire. And I also want to tell you that we managed to put away that murderer. May you now rest in peace."

Jane stood up with her head bowed for a moment before walking back to the car. _Back to my Maura. _

**The end**

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PS: I'm thinking of working on another one that is set during the Civil War. Started the first chapter already and am seeing how it turns out. If I like it and can continue it, I'll be sure to post it up!


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